Endoscopes, in particular those for industrial measurement and inspection tasks, usually contain a number of peripheral devices for power supply, lighting, video camera control, image evaluation, monitors, and the like. To avoid unnecessary obstacles to the handling of the endoscope with its operating part, a plug-in unit is provided from which the optical and electronic supply, as well as data exchange, is conducted to the endoscope by way of an integral cable connection. The number of plug connections corresponds to the number of possible peripheral devices for the particular endoscope, so that the plug-in unit allows essentially a simple exchange of various peripheral devices of the same type. The plug-in unit is configured in such a way that the mechanical impact of the integral cable connection upon connecting the peripheral devices is as small as possible.
It is the object of the invention to refine the plug-in unit in such a way that newly developed additional modules, or those not foreseen at first for the particular endoscope, can be retrofitted without rebuilding or disassembling the other plug connections. It should be possible in this case to connect the module with the plug-in unit in such a way that the static-mechanical impact of the integral cable connection is not unfavorably influenced.